The invention relates to the construction of breathable decorative panels and, more particularly, relates to composite panels of fabric and molded polymeric open framework.
Various products such as vacuum cleaners have exposed areas through which air circulates and for which it is desirable to provide a visually pleasing upholstered fabric appearance. Typically, upright vacuum cleaners are provided with fabric bags that are "soft" in the sense that they are not held to shape on a rigid frame. While a rigid frame can be used to define the shape of a fabric web to provide a finished integrated product appearance, this approach has not been successfully adopted, as far as known, in the vacuum cleaner industry. Possible reasons for this commercial absence in such goods is the expected high labor content associated with securing the fabric to the framework and finishing its edges. Where the exposed area of the fabric is of significant size, and it is desired that the frame be concealed, i.e. upstream in the air discharge flow of a vacuum cleaner, prior art fabric fastening techniques do not appear to be practical. Problems of the fabric ballooning out, stretching and separating from the frame, under the stress of high exhaust pressures from the vacuum motor unit can be anticipated.